The role of an Interim Manager in the E-commerce sector

The concept of e-commerce is constantly evolving; this dynamic sector experiences regular fundamental changes, impacted by the advance of new technologies and consumer demands.

In this context, an Interim Manager can intervene to set up, stabilize and optimize an e-merchant site and to bring it real profitability.

The design of an online merchant site goes through different phases: the definition of the strategy, the choice of the information system and the optimization of the performance of the e-shop.

On these different axes, an Interim Manager can bring real added value.

Why hire an e-commerce transition manager?

Today, companies increasingly use the services of an Interim Manager when creating their online store.

Most often, we can define its role in several stages:

• Needs assessment,
• Definition of the action plan,
• Implementation of performance measures for the e-shop.

The Transition Manager can intervene to:

• The technical aspect of the development of the e-shop: choice of CMS, supervision of the team of webmasters, determination of the tree structure, creation of the model in conjunction with the graphic designers, integration, etc.
• Site optimization: make the e-shop profitable using SEO tools in particular. The Transition Manager can monitor projects and intervene in the event of failure, development or improvement in results. He can also manage relations with suppliers and service providers.
• The management of the performance of the e-shop: implementation of reporting and monitoring of results.

What positions does an e-commerce transition manager hold?

• The Interim Manager can be an IT engineer and devote himself to the technical development of an application or a site specializing in e-commerce: he will be in charge of the analysis and design of IT solutions as part of an implementation. He supervises the team in charge of the project and the external service providers if necessary. He puts his experience in designing high-stakes solutions to develop and update the store effectively.
• The Transition Manager may also be responsible for the logistics aspect of the platform: inventory monitoring, replenishment, maintaining relationships with suppliers to accelerate the performance and strategy of the e-store, managing the entire delivery and responsibility for quality control.
• He can be responsible for the commercial development and marketing of the e-store. Experienced in SEO, he is in charge of the online marketing department. He ensures that the e-shop is compatible with the expectations of search engines on a technical level and in terms of content.
• He can be a project manager for the creation of the e-shop. The ambition of the Interim Manager is then to manage teams and budgets while respecting deadlines.

What profile for a Transition Manager in e-commerce?

If he evolves in the telecommunications sector, the Transition Manager must have the following skills:

• Technical skills: the transition manager in e-commerce must master the techniques of creating an e-commerce site: HTML, CSS, XML, PHP, etc. To create an e-commerce site from scratch, which is often asked of the Transition Manager, he must technically rely on prototypes if necessary or start from a blank page depending on the client’s expectations.
• Managerial skills: to assume management responsibilities for an e-commerce division, an interim manager must have the managerial skills to manage teams, internalize and ensure the coordination of activities. He will be in contact with very varied interlocutors and must coordinate them around a common project: the design, the development and the profitability of an e-commerce site.
• Marketing skills: the Transition Manager must be able to analyze and guide the marketing actions of the e-store (natural referencing, online advertising, partnership management). The actions he will then have to perform are as follows: determination of a structured marketing strategy, based on effective management tools and a clearly defined retroplanning. Fixing of KPIs, analysis of results.

It is in this context that the interim management firm intervenes: the role of the firm is to put in contact a company which wishes to develop a project in e-commerce with an Interim Manager whose profile is in line with its expectations, in terms of personal and professional abilities.

What cost for a Transition Manager in e-commerce?

A Transition Manager in e-commerce represents an approximate cost of 1200€ per day for a company.

This average cost will be impacted by various parameters: the size of the organization, the location of the company, the duration of the intervention, etc.

This price also varies according to the type of position sought. Each profile has specificities and a different budget.

The specifics of the mission are fundamental elements for setting a price. Depending on the stakes of the position and the configuration of the supervised team… the Interim Manager will be remunerated on very different bases.